Snowden’s exposure of covert government surveillance put privacy firmly on the map, but also put him at great risk. He was forced to flee the US in 2013 to avoid arrest and currently resides in Russia, where he has been given asylum.

Robert Beens, CEO of StartPage.com, said: "Edward Snowden’s revelations about government spying and mass data collection are of crucial importance to our society, but he had to sacrifice his free life for it."

"We are proud to honor his service and help bring his privacy message to the world."